ABSTRACT
When talking about small states, scholars of International Relations and Small State Studies actually use different concepts of state size, which leads to misunderstanding and methodological confusion in academic discussions. The present chapter aims at building up the complex model of size, which is built on differentiating between four types of small states – absolute, relative, perceptual, and normative. The main traditions of the related literature will be reorganised on the basis on this categorisation, attaching the most fundamental theoretical assumptions and behavioural patterns to each. The model constructs the basic methodological and conceptual tools needed to analyse the foreign policy behaviour of smaller Gulf states: hard power and soft power, dilemmas related to alliance policy and integration, shelters, virtual enlargement and identity.
